Just Like Him
by BookWorm37
Summary: It's the first team night, but Jack's forgotten what day it also is. Mild SJ. Be kind when reviewing, please. COMPLETE


A/N: Okay, I'm not too sure about this, but I feel the need to post it to face the critism of the reviewers.

* * *

"Hey, Jack!" 

The Air Force Colonel turned around; Daniel Jackson was running down the corridor toward him. "What, Danny?"

"Are we still on for the barbeque tonight?" Daniel asked as he caught up to his new friend.

"Yeah, why wouldn't we be?"

"No reason. I just wasn't sure, considering that thing with the Shavadi, that Sam would want to come."

Jack looked at Daniel with a glint in his eye, "Oh, she's coming. Don't you worry."

Jack continued walking out to his truck, stopping on the way home for some steaks for him to grill to charred perfection on his trusty old barbeque. When he got home, however, he saw someone he wasn't expecting to see. Sitting on his porch, in the old porch swing he'd kept around for sentimental value, was a woman with an expectant look on her face as she rocked softly and waited.

When he was on the steps leading up to his porch, Jack finally realized who it was. She stood up, "Hi."

Jack took her in his arms, "Oh my God, Simone!" He held her back and gave her a good once-over, "What the hell did you do to your hair?" Jack fingered the now very short, deep brown haircut that she sported.

Simone smiled nervously, "Do you like it? Alex does … that's partially why I did it."

Jack smiled reassuringly, "It suits you well, sis."

Simone slapped him lightly, "Liar. You never could lie to me convincingly. Side effect of being your twin."

Jack unlocked his door, "Ah, but if I ever did, how would _you_ know?"

Simone laughed as she picked up her duffle bag and carried it inside the house behind Jack's retreating body. Looking around she noticed how little the house had changed from the previous years. "You really need to redecorate, bro."

Jack led her into the living room, even though she already knew where it was, and Simone sat down on the couch with a flop as Jack said humorously, "Why? This style just screams 'Jack'."

Simone looked around, "Actually, it screams 'desperate for a make-over' but just keep telling yourself that, Jack."

Jack laughed at his little sister, "What are you doin' here, sis?"

Simone looked at him oddly, "Don't you remember what today is?"

Jack thought for a moment before it suddenly clicked in his mind what the day was. With a sigh he plopped down on the couch, "It's Mom and Dad's anniversary."

"Yep. All of them in one day."

The doorbell rang again and Simone looked at her brother with a curious look, "Expecting someone?"

Jack grimaced, "Actually, I'm expecting _three_ someone's."

"Wow, Jack, I never expected you to be that kind of guy."

"Simone, you know that's _not_ what I meant! I'm having a barbeque tonight with my team. I completely forgot what today is."

The doorbell rang again. Simone motioned toward it, "Go get the door, Jack."

A few seconds later, Jack walked back into the living room followed by two men: one who looked like a geek; and the other who looked like a body builder. Simone stood up and smiled at them both, "Hi."

The tall, black man who reminded her of a body builder bowed his head, "Greetings."

"Hi, I'm Daniel Jackson," the other one said, offering his hand. "Who are you?"

Simone shot a glare at her brother, who was pretending the dust on his shoe was more interesting than the meeting. "I'm Simone O'Neill – Jack's baby sister," she said as she shook his hand.

Daniel raised his eyebrows, "Oh…he never told us he had a sister."

Simone grinned at Daniel, "Well, Jack doesn't like talking about family that much. He's been that way for years."

Jack groaned, "Simone, are you going to tell them _all_ my secrets?"

She grinned at her brother, "Maybe. Probably only the ones that are _really_ good for black mailing material."

"O'Neill, I have items that require the need of refrigeration until consumption," the big, burly, black man said holding up the bag in his hand.

Simone quirked an eyebrow at him, in a manner that reminded Jack and Daniel of Teal'c. "I'll take it…"

"My name is Teal'c," the man said, passing her the bag.

"Hmm, Teal'c…it sounds Egyptian almost. Are you African?" Simone asked as she took the bag and walked into the kitchen to put the food away along with Jack's forgotten groceries that were sitting on the island in the middle of his fairly large kitchen.

Teal'c looked at Jack and Daniel to find the answer he should give to Simone O'Neill. Both men nodded affirmative to her question. When Simone walked back into the living room, Teal'c answered, "That is correct," he said with another bow of the head.

"Teal'c's from Mozambique," Jack supplied. "But his father was really into Egypt, hence the name."

"You're accent's really good, T. Can I call you, T?" Simone asked as she sat down again on the sofa she had vacated when the two men arrived.

"You may. I have spoken this language for many years, Simone O'Neill, the accent is natural," Teal'c said, taking a seat in one of Jack's over stuffed chairs.

Simone grinned at Teal'c's formalness; it was kinda refreshing for her. She was still grinning when Daniel asked her, "So, what is it you do?"

"I'm an engineer for the Army," Simone said with a smile, pulling out her dog tags from underneath her shirt. "Major Simone O'Neill," she said with another O'Neill grin.

Daniel looked at her strangely, "So, you're Army, and Jack's Air Force? How did that happen? Don't tell me you have a sibling in each branch!"

Simone looked at Jack with a grin that was mirrored on his own face, "Okay," Jack said. "We won't tell you that we have a sibling in each branch."

"What!" Daniel nearly yelled.

Jack was too busy laughing to answer, leaving Simone to do so. "Our oldest brother, Colonel Carl O'Neill, is in the Marines; Captain Carla O'Neill, our oldest sister, is in the Navy; and our little brother, Lieutenant Matthew O'Neill is in the Coast Guard."

Daniel's mouth opened and closed in a repetitive motion that caused him to look like a gold fish, and Jack to laugh even harder. When the doorbell rang again, Simone got up to answer it.

"Sam Carter?" Simone said with a smile.

Sam looked at her oddly, before the face clicked in her memory, "Simone? Oh my God! How are you?" Sam said, giving her a hug.

"I'm doing good, Sam. How are you?"

Sam shrugged, her mind returning to her last mission, "Okay, I guess. What are you doing here?"

Simone shrugged, motioning for Sam to follow her inside, "It's my parents' anniversary."

The two women walked into the living room to find Jack laughing his ass off, Daniel still impersonating a gold fish, and Teal'c looking at both of them like they had just proclaimed that Apophis was really a god.

Sam turned to Simone, "But what are you doing _here_?"

"Oh, right. I guess you wouldn't know, would you? Jack's my older brother." Simone said, reclaiming her seat next to Jack.

"Oh," was all Sam could say.

Teal'c looked up at her, "Captain Carter, it is good to see you."

Sam smiled, "You too, Teal'c. So, what did I miss?"

"The proclamation that Colonel O'Neill has four siblings, Captain Carter."

Sam claimed a seat next to Daniel on the couch as both of the Tauri men on SG-1 calmed down, "Wow. Sir, you never tell us _anything_!"

"Sorry, Carter, just never found the right time," Jack said, putting a close to the conversation with his 2IC.

Simone looked at Jack with a scowl, but said nothing. Instead she turned to Sam, "So, how long have you been working with Jack, Sam?"

Sam shrugged, "A couple months, I think. Wow, Simone! I just can't believe you never told me you were related to Colonel O'Neill!"

Simone shook her head at Sam, "Yes, I did. You told me you were Air Force and I told you that my brother was Air Force. _Then_ I told you about my other siblings and _their_ military careers."

"When was that?"

"About…two months before we ended our work on the Project at the Pentagon."

Sam furrowed her brow, trying to remember, "Oh yeah. We were eating lunch at that café and started talking about our home lives." Sam looked up with a slight smile, feeling foolish for having not made the connection.

Simone rolled her eyes at Sam, "It's fine – truthfully, with everything that's been going on in the past year, I'm surprised you even remembered lunch."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked, curious about Jack's sister's relationship with Sam.

But Simone shook her head, "It's classified."

Sam grinned slightly, "Simone…they all work on the Program with me now."

The woman raised her eyebrow again in true Teal'c fashion. "_My_ brother, _Jack_, works on _scientific_ _project_?" she said in disbelief.

Jack playfully slapped her, "Hey! I'm not that dumb!"

Simone relented that fact but had to continue with her point, "_Yeah_, but the last time you worked with Cousin Mac on something scientific you came out of it swearing up and down that _all_ scientists were the spawn of Satan."

"Sir!" Sam said indignantly at the same time Daniel said, "JACK!"

Jack glared at his sister, "You just _had_ to bring up Cousin Mac, didn't you?"

Simone nodded innocently. "Of course. That's what sisters do. Now, Jack, you know what my clearance level is – I know what yours is. Can I actually know for a change what's going on with you and this team of yours?"

Daniel and Teal'c were slightly surprised by the woman's show of concern for her brother, but all three other members of SG-1 were even more shocked when Jack started _explaining_ the SGC to her.

Simone sat in silence after Jack told her what their jobs were. She looked at Teal'c again and smirked, a chuckle escaping her lips. Finally she looked at Sam, "So…I was _right_."

Sam looked down, not really wanting to admit it. "_Yes_. You were right," she finally said through clenched teeth – Simone would never let her live it down now.

"And _you_ were _wrong_," Simone said with a smile.

Sam clenched her teeth tighter, "I was wrong."

"Wrong and right about what?" Daniel asked, not getting the conversation at all. It seemed that ever since Sam had arrived he'd been out of the loop about something and it was beginning to bug him.

Teal'c stared impassively at the two women. He did not know what it was they were discussing, but he was a Jaffa and did not let his ignorance be known by others.

Simone was the one to answer, "Wrong and right about what the Stargate was." She grinned as she turned to Sam, "She thought it was a time machine, and I thought it was a transportation device."

"Ah," Jack said, grinning at Sam. "You were _wrong_? How the hell is that possible?"

Simone punched his arm for Sam, knowing she never would, as the USAF Captain blushed red. "That's not very nice, Jack! I could always just tell them about the time you told me about your hypothesis about the true function of a telescope …"

"You wouldn't dare."

Simone raised her eyebrow again, "Jack, Jack, Jack…you're my brother – _and_ you've read my file. Care to revise your statement?"

Jack grumbled about unfair siblings going to bed with one haircut and waking up with a completely different one. Simone grinned at him, "Like I said before, Jack – Alex _likes_ my hair short. You'd just be doing her a favor."

Jack grumbled again but Simone cut him off (much to the amusement of SG-1 who enjoyed seeing the more friendly/family side of Jack), "Why don't you go start those steaks? You know, do that macho thing: burn meat."

Daniel looked at her sharply at this, "He _burns_ the meat?"

* * *

The team night was an interesting first for SG-1. This was partially due to their last mission (Sam was still mad at Jack for leaving her there…she could never stay mad at Teal'c for long – he was just too sweet, and Daniel…was Daniel) and partially because of Simone's presence. 

After the three teammates had left, Simone was helping Jack clean up when she spotted something on his table that hadn't been there at the beginning of the night. She walked up to the table and picked up a small decorative wooden box with elephants engraved over its surface.

The tears started to flow before she could stop them. It was amazing and terrifying how one small box could do that to her. She felt like it had all just started again.

Two strong arms encompassed her shaking form and held her tight as the tears left trails on her cheeks and she clung onto Jack with all her might. She literally felt like if he dropped her, she would die.

When Simone finally pulled away from her brother's embrace, she looked at him with pain evident in her eyes; "Jack, you need to tell them."

Jack walked her into the living room and they sat by each other on the sofa, Simone still clutching that damn box. "I'm not sure I can," he finally confessed to his twin sister.

"It's a part of who we are, Jack, if you don't tell them it's going to stand like a brick wall between you and happiness."

Jack snorted, "How do you know?"

Simone looked at him with piercing eyes, "Jack, I was born only two hours after you were, and we grew up together. When Mom…did what she did, it affected me _just_ as much as it did you. It wasn't our fault, but that doesn't mean we don't bear the burden of what happened."

"You've been seeing that shrink again, haven't you?"

She shrugged, "I can't bottle in my emotions, Jack. My relationship with Mitch taught me _that_ most of all."

"Yeah, well I'm not like you, Simone, I _have_ to bottle my emotions to survive," Jack shot back at his twin.

Simone was quiet for a while, studying the decorative box in her hands: it was the last gift their father had given to Jack before… "Jack, you should at least tell Sam."

"Why?"

"Because she has a right to know."

"You knew her for two years and you didn't tell her, why should I?" he accused.

Simone nodded, acknowledging that it was truth. "I wasn't in love with Sam, you are."

"_What_?" Jack said venomously. "That's _way_ out of line, Simone, even for you."

She met his angry, confused eyes, "He's been gone for over a year, Jack. I don't expect you to let him go – but you need to let _Sarah_ go. Move on with your life … be _happy_. That's all I've ever wanted for you."

Jack sighed, looking down at his hands, "Why should I? You didn't tell Mitch – I never told Sarah."

"No, you're right – _Carla_ told Sarah. And you're also right that I never told Mitch; _that's_ what drove him away in the end. There was a part of me I was holding back and I never gave it to him. That's what's different with my relationship with Alex."

At Jack's curious look Simone elaborated, "Mitch was always pestering me about what I was hiding from him…Alex never once said a word. She trusted me to tell her in my own time … I told her last week."

"What did she do?"

"At first she was upset that I hadn't told her sooner…then she was relieved that I had told her at all. We're having a party next week to celebrate our new commitment to each other. It's how I know she's the right person for me, Jack," Simone leaned forward, putting emphasis on all her words, "When I look into her face now, I don't see pity. I see love and understanding. Alexia knows very well what I may become in the future, and she's willing to stand beside me anyway."

"And you think it would be the same with Carter?" Jack asked in a broken voice.

Simone smiled slightly, "I know it would be, Jack. She's a very understanding person. But she's a lot like Mitch … and Sarah. She won't wait around forever, Jack."

Jack put an arm around his twin, pulling her close, "You spent _way_ too much time around me growing up."

Simone grinned, "Why do you think I turned out to be a lesbian, Jack? It's completely and _entirely_ your fault."

Jack snorted, "Sure, blame your genes on me!"

She looked at her watch and groaned, "I've gotta go. They're sending me to Palestine. Plane leaves in a few hours."

Jack rose when his sister did, capturing her in another brotherly hug, "I'll miss you, Simone."

"I'll miss you, too, Jack. Take care. And tell Sam. It'll drive you crazy if you don't."

* * *

Sam was half asleep when there was a knock on the door of her new apartment. She looked through the spy hole and saw it was her CO, Jack O'Neill. "Sir," she said, opening up. "I wasn't expecting you." 

"Sorry if I woke you, Carter. But there are a few things we need to talk about."

"Sir?"

"Can I come in, Carter?"

"Sure," Sam opened the door wider and directed him to sit at the kitchen table while she made some coffee. "What's wrong?"

Jack looked at his hands, "I came here for two main reasons…the first was to apologize. I'm really sorry for what happened on that planet."

Sam was genuinely touched by his words, but didn't let it show, "Thank you, sir. It was an honest mistake to assume I'd be safe in that tent."

Jack shook his head, "No, Carter, you don't understand. I've been in the Air Force since I was nineteen, I _shouldn't_ have left you alone." He paused, not really wanting to say what he was about to, but knowing he had to, "And I'm here to make it up to you."

Sam was more than a little curious now to find out what her CO had in mind.

He pulled a white card out of his jacket pocket and slid it across the table toward her. Sam looked at it and was rather shocked to discover that it was the identification card for a star. He'd named a star after her.

Tears came to her eyes, "Thank you, sir. What was the other reason you came?"

Jack hesitated, not really sure if it was the right time for him to tell her about his parents. "I wanted to ask if you still had that blue dress the Shavadi made you wear?"

Sam's cheeks burned crimson, "No, sir. I burned it as soon as we got back."

"Shame. That's a real shame."

* * *

A few months later, Sam found herself in the same position as she was right after the Shavadi. She was being woken up late at night by an apologetic CO the day after a rather embarrassing incident with the Goa'uld, Hathor. 

"Carter, we need to talk," O'Neill said as he stepped inside her new two bedroom house.

"Sure, sir, the kitchen's this way," she handed him a cup of coffee after it was finished brewing, "So? What's wrong this time, sir?"

Jack sighed heavily before deciding to bite the bullet, "I need to tell you a story. And I need you're promise that you won't interrupt me until I'm done."

Sam looked at him worriedly, "Okay, sir. I promise."

Jack couldn't look Sam in the eye, so he kept his gaze on the wood of her table, "When I was thirteen my mother killed my father." Sam would have interrupted him then, but he wouldn't let her. With a shake of his head, he continued, "There were a couple things that were different about this case, though. You see, schizophrenia runs in my mom's family and she was deemed clinically insane and unfit to face trial. She's in a mental hospital in Chicago now.

"When Simone stopped by a couple months ago, she told you that it was our parents' anniversary. That's true in more ways than one: our parents _did_ get married on the 21st of August, but that was also the day that our mother killed our father."

A few minutes later, Sam finally found the ability to speak, "Why are you telling me all of this, sir?"

"Because there's a very good possibility that in a couple of years I'm going to become exactly what my mother is. The Hathor _thing_ scared me, Carter. That's the truth of it. I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't."

Sam's hand snaked out and grabbed his own, squeezing reassuringly, "It wasn't just you, sir. Everyone felt that way."

"Carter, I want you to promise me something," Jack said seriously.

"What?"

"If I ever start acting like that again, tell me."

"Sir, you didn't believe me when I told you this time."

Jack had to admit that fact, "Okay, then…when I'm not acting one hundred percent…I want you to call me Jack."

"What?" That was the weirdest thing he'd _ever_ asked her to do.

"You heard me, Carter. If I start acting insane, I want you to call me Jack."

Sam sighed; if he thought it would help, who was she to say otherwise? "Okay, sir."

* * *

"Did you talk to her?" Simone asked when she spoke to Jack a few weeks later on the telephone. 

"Yes, little miss nosy, I talked to her."

"And?"

"And…there wasn't any pity."

"See? I _told_ you, Jack!" Simone sounded way too happy about that.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Oh, not much … Alex and I just adopted the cutest little Irish terrier, that's all."

Jack raised his eyebrows; _that_ was good news, "What's its name?"

Simone hesitated, "Jack. He's eight months old."

"You adopted a dog and named it _Jack_?"

"That's right. He needed a home, and we wanted a dog. Alex is staying home most of the time anyway now that we finally found a sperm donor."

"That's great, sis. It really is. Are you going to wait before you conceive, or try right away for a kid?"

"We were thinking about waiting. Not for a couple more years at least. But we've purchased the sperm so it's there whenever we're ready."

"Okay, well, I better go," Jack said, looking up as Sam, Daniel and Teal'c all walked into the room he was in, all three were dressed like him in the black uniforms they would wear for their impromptu mission. "Yeah, I love you, too, Simone. Bye."

Jack looked at them all, "Ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Indeed."

"As ready as I'll ever be, Jack."

Jack nodded once, "Good, let's go save the world. Again."

* * *

Simone looked at her girlfriend after she hung up the phone, "You know what, Alexia? I think we should name our baby Jonathan if it's a boy, and Jacqueline if it's a girl." 

Alexia raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure that's a good idea, Simone? Naming our baby after your brother?"

Simone sighed, "He's a good man. And it will be the closest thing he can come to having his own children for the next couple years."

Alex sighed in resignation, "Okay. _You_ can ask him."

"I was thinking more along the lines of you asking him," Simone said hopefully. Alex shook her head of blonde hair and Simone realized for the first time how much she looked like Sam Carter. "Wow," she said, much to the confusion of Alexia, "I really _am_ just like him."

"Just like who, dear?"

"Just like Jack."

"As long as our baby isn't, dear, I'm fine."

Simone grinned, leaning over to kiss Alex lightly on the lips, "Why do you think you're the one carrying the baby?"

Fin

* * *

A/N: Is it sucks to my ass-marr, or do I get a new towel to take hitch hiking with me? 


End file.
